I write left-handed, and do pretty much everything else right-handed. I shoot righty, golf righty. Switch hit in baseball. And then some things confuse me, like tennis, ping pong or throwing a Frisbee--don't know what hand to use.

It's funny though, because the majority of skaters shoot left, but the majority of goalies catch with their left hand--making them right-handed shots.

I'm in the same boat. I'm a lefty by nature. I eat with/use utensils left handed and I write with my left hand. Everything else I use my right hand for. When I pick up a hockey stick or even a baseball bat, I am right handed. Seems weird, but it's what I do.

To be on topic with the handedness discussion, I think being on your off-handed side on D isn't an issue, if you know what you can do with it. Sure, chipping it up the boards is easier, but you can fire it around the net to your other D or the winger/center on the other side of the ice. Also, if you carry it clean around the net from your off-side, you can now pass much easier. For someone who is mobile and has good hands on D, playing the off-side should be easier, at least in the defensive zone.

Plays along the boards will become harder in the offensive zone, but if you have skill and good hands, it shouldn't be that big of an issue. Erixon could handle himself on his off-side. I personally think Del Zotto would become better if he did it too.

I write left-handed, and do pretty much everything else right-handed. I shoot righty, golf righty. Switch hit in baseball. And then some things confuse me, like tennis, ping pong or throwing a Frisbee--don't know what hand to use.

It's funny though, because the majority of skaters shoot left, but the majority of goalies catch with their left hand--making them right-handed shots.

I write lefty and do everything else (including hockey) righty as well. Except I'm a beast at ping pong and sometimes switch the paddle to my right hand mid volley to reach tough shots.

it is out of necessity, and the ideal situation might be to have one lefty and one righty on each pair, but the fact that so many LH dmen play the right side just shows that people are making too big of a deal out of it.

according to nhl.com, there were 213 dmen that played atleast 30 games this year...2/3 (141) were left-handed, only 1/3 (72) were right-handed. so lots of pairs with 2 lefties...and out of those rights, we had 3 (sauer, gilroy, eminger) that for most of the year played on the 3rd pair together as an all-righty pair.

bruins and canucks both dressed 4 lefties out of 6 dmen last night...rafalski was the only righty on the wings. the flyers blueline are ALL lefties (coburn, pronger, timmonen, carle, o'donnell, meszaros)

having a lefty on the right might not be perfect, but its not a big deal.

Thx for posting the stats again. Ranger fan base will need to accept the idea that one of our left-handed d-men will play the right side.

I'm in the same boat. I'm a lefty by nature. I eat with/use utensils left handed and I write with my left hand. Everything else I use my right hand for. When I pick up a hockey stick or even a baseball bat, I am right handed. Seems weird, but it's what I do.

To be on topic with the handedness discussion, I think being on your off-handed side on D isn't an issue, if you know what you can do with it. Sure, chipping it up the boards is easier, but you can fire it around the net to your other D or the winger/center on the other side of the ice. Also, if you carry it clean around the net from your off-side, you can now pass much easier. For someone who is mobile and has good hands on D, playing the off-side should be easier, at least in the defensive zone.

Plays along the boards will become harder in the offensive zone, but if you have skill and good hands, it shouldn't be that big of an issue. Erixon could handle himself on his off-side. I personally think Del Zotto would become better if he did it too.

im not an NHL defenseman or anything, but as a righty shooting defenseman, i find the left side to be much much much more difficult to play than the right side. everything just feels wrong, even some things like stick on stick when driving a player to the outside is weird because yours going outside of the stick on their stick instead of the inside of your stick on their stick. if youre on your off side its also a little more difficult to whip it off the boards and out to your own side when chasing a puck in deep. basically, everything is just a little harder to do. the only plus is you can shoot 1-timers from your partner way better, and you have a better shooting angle if you join the rush.

when i play in my leagues ppl always ask me which side i want. most ppl are like...ill play anywhere you want. im like. Right side. can you play the left side? Yes, but i dont want to. lol.

While the Calgary Flames refuse to dwell on the forced trading of Tim Erixon, many around the league agree the way things unfolded doesn’t pass the smell test. The Flames have not whined or filed a grievance with the league nor will anyone utter the word ‘tampering.’ But few like the way it all shook out. That said, several GMs told the Calgary Sun they felt Flames GM Jay Feaster did an admirable job getting something from the New York Rangers for the first-round draft pick. And while it appears Feaster’s last-minute dealing limited his trade partners, a Toronto Maple Leafs source said Saturday they were indeed in on the bidding to land the first rounder

I don't believe for a second that the Rangers did anything that could realistically be considered tampering. As many faults as Sather has, he plays his cards close and doesn't make huge stupid errors like that.

People are whispering tampering solely because they can speculate about it and not because they have a single shred of proof

I don't believe for a second that the Rangers did anything that could realistically be considered tampering. As many faults as Sather has, he plays his cards close and doesn't make huge stupid errors like that.

People are whispering tampering solely because they can speculate about it and not because they have a single shred of proof

Exactly.

This is when these guys in and around the league come across like snot nosed kids.

You can bet your morning latte that a number of other GM's were cued up on Feasters VM. A guy does not get that close to NOT signing w/o there being a problem that others would notice and try and take advantage of....unless they were sleeping.

They whisper stuff anonymously because it's the Rangers and they can....gutless.

Thx for posting the stats again. Ranger fan base will need to accept the idea that one of our left-handed d-men will play the right side.

That may be the case, but one still cannot freely place a D at any side. Some may switch, some will have trouble with it. If you want make it in NHL last thing you need is to impede your progress by learning other things that you normally have to because you GM did not have balance required.

As for how left/ right handed shots are established it is done when you start to skate and practically no one changes. Those who have strong hand low have better shot as they can produce more power there. The strong hand at the shaft end will allow you to achieve better shaft rotation. The more rotation of the shaft per minute the player can routinely produce, the better puck decking he/she could do since rotation of the shaft back and forth is what you do to handle the puck. Since little kids do not shoot the puck at all (they just sweep it) all coaches are looking for puck handlers. As a parent you can make your kid to play with strong hand down assuming that with the time he/she will be a better shooter, but stick handling could be so bad, that he/she will never make the team (which the most important!). Therefore all coaches recommend to handle the stick "naturally". What that means is you do a broomstick test. Give the broom to the kid and make him to sweep the floor. Whatever are the position of his/her hands you transfer it to a hockey stick. In this case the strong hand will be on top.

Based on what said above the right/ left shooting is given. The playing off side is not desirable, but possible. The switch od LH D to right side should be done AFTER he got comfortable playing D in NHL if ever.

I played forward most of my life but was always solid defensively and when I joined some adult leagues over the last couple years, I played on some teams with a good amount of "new" players and subsequently switched to defense where I could help compensate for the lack of experience on my team. I'm a righty but always liked to play left wing so I could cut across to shoot, so playing left defense felt fairly comfortable for me.

13. There's a lot of disappointment in southern Alberta about the Tim Erixon trade, but the fact is there wasn't a lot the Flames could do. It's not as if one team can outbid the other under the current CBA. Erixon's father, Jan, played for the Rangers and is close with Glen Sather. He preferred New York, and in that case, you try and get something. This isn't, however, a referendum on players not wanting to go to Calgary. That's an overreaction.

I played forward most of my life but was always solid defensively and when I joined some adult leagues over the last couple years, I played on some teams with a good amount of "new" players and subsequently switched to defense where I could help compensate for the lack of experience on my team. I'm a righty but always liked to play left wing so I could cut across to shoot, so playing left defense felt fairly comfortable for me.

I play C on last line - 2nd or 3rd depending on how many show up - so I am mostly a defensive F as you can see. I have no problem if solid D plays off side. In this case he scoops the puck off the boards and carries it behind the net. If D is shaky he'd better be playing on his side so he could shoot it out off the glass. Otherwise he will most likely to pass it to partner which forcheckers will soon figure out. I am sure many coaches think that way. Because excellent D in one league can become shaky one in other which is sure case with AHL/NHL transition.

I could see Jannie being tight with Hedberg(ex-Rangers teammates/fellow Swedes). Hedberg is tight with Slats having worked for him in Edmonton and now with the Rangers.

Interesting. Could be the channel of communication, but the root cause is different , IMO. There is an 10% difference in taxes between Canada (Calgary or Toronto) and NYC. That is almost 100K if place of employment is Greenburgh of Westchester, not NYC.

I write lefty and do everything else (including hockey) righty as well. Except I'm a beast at ping pong and sometimes switch the paddle to my right hand mid volley to reach tough shots.

Hmm, interesting seeing all the lefty writers posting about what they do righty.

I write, play hockey and play baseball lefty.

I play football, soccer and bass righty. If the football thing seems weird in combination with the baseball thing, it's because I'm not very good at catching with the glove on my left hand. Same reason I was caught with my right hand as goalie too. Although I will say that my left hand on bass is just as active as my right one.

I use utensils and can play paddle sports (like ping pong or tennis) with either hand depending on the situation. For example, if someone is sitting on my right side, I'll have the fork in my left hand and vice versa...

I naturally do things with my right hand first, though. Not sure why. Maybe it's because I broke my left pinky badly when I was 11 or 12 and started using my right hand a lot more then. There have been occasions where I'm doing something righty and while capably, not really well and I switch it up to my left hand and am suddenly much better at it. Other times I'm not. I've always thought, though, that if I sat down and really focused on learning to write with my right hand, I'd pick it up pretty quick.

Now, as a hockey player... I always preferred the right side at forward, but the left side on D. I think that falls in line well with the conversation we're having about which side a D should play on. However, I don't feel it's as much of a hindrance for a lefty to play on the right side as some people maintain. A lot of it, to me, has to do with role... which is why, from my point of view, DelZotto needs to learn to play the right side regularly. I think his play would benefit from it.

Hmm, interesting seeing all the lefty writers posting about what they do righty.

I write, play hockey and play baseball lefty.

I play football, soccer and bass righty. If the football thing seems weird in combination with the baseball thing, it's because I'm not very good at catching with the glove on my left hand. Same reason I was caught with my right hand as goalie too. Although I will say that my left hand on bass is just as active as my right one.

I don't play the guitar but sometimes I think about which way I would prefer to hold a guitar if I ever took up the hobby. Did you know that Jimmy Hendrix played the guitar upsidedown because he was lefty and grew up learning to play a right-handed guitar?

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I use utensils and can play paddle sports (like ping pong or tennis) with either hand depending on the situation. For example, if someone is sitting on my right side, I'll have the fork in my left hand and vice versa...

That's interesting... I've never tried to eat with my opposite hand. I did write with my right-hand for a limited period of time following a hand injury in middle school but that was about the extenT of it. I played soccer when I was younger and started off with my left foot being my dominant foot, but over the course of several years, I eventually become stronger with my right foot.

Quote:

Now, as a hockey player... I always preferred the right side at forward, but the left side on D. I think that falls in line well with the conversation we're having about which side a D should play on. However, I don't feel it's as much of a hindrance for a lefty to play on the right side as some people maintain. A lot of it, to me, has to do with role...

I like the left side on D as well. Not completely sure why but I have that preference.

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which is why, from my point of view, DelZotto needs to learn to play the right side regularly. I think his play would benefit from it.

Agreed. Somebody needs to start getting acclimated to playing the opposite side and the coaching staff needs to closely monitor how it plays out.

I'm a lefty in almost everything, including hockey, but for some reason, when it comes to soccer, I kick with my right foot/leg. I also use my right hand for operating scissors, but I guess that's because I never had a pair of lefty scissors.

I think this is good deal for the Rangers. Its not often you find a top 20 pick just hanging around to be had. You sent a nice prospect back but you had to give to get. It would be nice to keep one of those second rounders, but you get a slam dunk nhl player back in my eyes.

This leaves the door open for a trade with the plethora of young defenseman the Rangers have. McDonagh is a keeper. Obviously Staal and G-man stick around.

I think if you are going to deal someone its either Del Zotto or Sauer. I freaking LOOOOVE Sauer, i think hes the perfect guy for a lower pairing who has shown the ability to play big minutes if need be. I truly think he was the rookie of the year last year, despite the hell of the year Step had. Thats how much i love the guy. But heres the thing. Sell high. Unfortunately the guy has injury problems. If you could put a package together to land a really decent skilled forward, then go ahead. Otherwise, hold on to him.

Anyway, back to Erixon. I think the kids solid. Top 4 potential they say? Why not give up what they gave? Especially when the kid has played two seasons in a great league already with success. Besides, Clark and the crew always find the guys who slip into the 3rd round.

I think this is good deal for the Rangers. Its not often you find a top 20 pick just hanging around to be had. You sent a nice prospect back but you had to give to get. It would be nice to keep one of those second rounders, but you get a slam dunk nhl player back in my eyes.

This leaves the door open for a trade with the plethora of young defenseman the Rangers have. McDonagh is a keeper. Obviously Staal and G-man stick around.

I think if you are going to deal someone its either Del Zotto or Sauer. I freaking LOOOOVE Sauer, i think hes the perfect guy for a lower pairing who has shown the ability to play big minutes if need be. I truly think he was the rookie of the year last year, despite the hell of the year Step had. Thats how much i love the guy. But heres the thing. Sell high. Unfortunately the guy has injury problems. If you could put a package together to land a really decent skilled forward, then go ahead. Otherwise, hold on to him.

Anyway, back to Erixon. I think the kids solid. Top 4 potential they say? Why not give up what they gave? Especially when the kid has played two seasons in a great league already with success. Besides, Clark and the crew always find the guys who slip into the 3rd round.